2 Indiana women accused of sex trafficking 17-year-old

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Two Fort Wayne women are accused of recruiting a 17-year-old girl for sex trafficking, according to Allen Superior Court documents.

According to court documents, the 17-year-old had communicated with someone on Instagram about how she wanted to leave home and was looking for someone to take her in, which is how she eventually connected with the two suspects: 20-year-old Harley Rose Cooley and 21-year-old Leticia Monique Granados.

On Dec. 5, the two suspects picked up the 17-year-old, threw her cell phone out the window while giving her a new one to use and took her to a house in Fort Wayne. Cooley and Granados are then accused of educating the girl about sex trafficking, including prices and important terms to know, according to court documents.

An Indiana State Police detective investigating the case reportedly found pornographic images of the 17-year-old online through various websites. The detective also identified Cooley in some of the images through her tattoos.

On Dec. 9, a family member found the 17-year-old at a hotel in Fort Wayne.

On Feb. 20, police spoke to Cooley and Granados, and Cooley reportedly admitted that Granados would set up “plays” — a term used to describe having sex for money — for the 17-year-old and her, and both would give half the money they received to Granados, according to court documents. That same day, Granados told police that the 17-year-old was being sex trafficked by Cooley.

Cooley also reportedly said she did not know the girl was underage until a few days after picking her up.

Cooley and Granados each face two counts of promotion of human sex trafficking of a child, a Level 3 felony, and a single count of child exploitation, a Level 5 felony.